If you want to recognize the beauty and complexity of weed, there’s no better way than by growing your own. Nurturing a plant from baby seedling to lush harvest will give you a whole new appreciation for the magic of marijuana. 

We wanted to get at the root of home growing for personal use (get it???)—what you really need to know and how best to get started. So we went straight to the source by chatting with Max Majot, Technical Manager at Royal Queen Seeds. Max is an expert in all things breeding, growing, and cultivating cannabis, and he gave us the rundown on the must-know info to go from seed to weed. 

Contents

What Equipment Do You Need to Grow Weed at Home?

Home Grow 101

• Choosing Your Seeds

• IT’S ALIVE!!! AKA Germinating Your Seeds

• Feed Me: Soil and Nutrients

• See the Light: Natural Sun or Grow Lights

• Keep it Comfy: Temperature and Humidity

• The Essence of Wetness: Water Frequency and pH

• Home Stretch: Harvesting and Curing

The Hands-Down Easiest Way to Grow Your Own Weed

What Equipment Do You Need to Grow Weed at Home?

There are passionate green thumbs with complex set-ups for their home grow operations. Massive grow lights. Soil moisture sensors. Heavy-duty grow tents. 

You don’t need any of that to get started growing cannabis. Just keep it simple with the basics: 

• Cannabis seeds

• A pot

• Potting soil

• Basic soil nutrients (potassium, phosphorous, nitrogen)

• Simple pH control tools: a pH pen or test kit, and pH Up and pH Down solutions to tweak your water pH

And that’s really it! 

Once you have a few successful grows under your thumb, you can start working on increasing your yield with some extra equipment.

We’re going to get into all the details in a sec. But first…

The Hands-Down Easiest Way to Grow Your Own Weed

You can order seeds online, buy a pot and some potting soil, and add your own soil nutrients. Or, you can make your first foray into growing weed as easy and affordable as humanly possible with the iGrowCan All-In-One Hemp Grow Kit from Royal Queen Seeds. 

Everything you need for your first grow is included: 

• 2 autoflowering seeds

• 1 germination plug that balances pH and prevents waterlogging

• A coco compost mix and organic nutrients to keep your baby healthy

• And a can to grow it in

There are six reliable, classic strains to choose from—all selected for this kit because they’re beginner-friendly and an easy intro to growing at home. Just follow the included instructions, and you’ll be about ten weeks from your first harvest. 

But whether you get the iGrowCan or DIY your home grow setup, here’s what you need to know to get started. 

Home Grow 101

Choosing Your Seeds

When you’re shopping for seeds, you’ll see some long words thrown around like feminized, photoperiod, and photoautomatic. What does all this mean?

Feminized Seeds

Naturally occurring cannabis seeds have a 50/50 shot of being male or female. The male plants are part of the natural cannabis lifecycle, but they don’t create smokeable buds. So we only want to grow female plants—the ones with all those beautiful get-you-high flowers and aromatic terpenes. 

Now, back in the day, we had no way of knowing the gender of our seeds in advance. We would grow a crop of cannabis plants, and around half would be male, so they’d be discarded. That’s a lot of wasted time, effort, and money only to throw it away. 

Max explains, “Once technology and science stepped in, we understood that we could reverse a female into creating pollen, and you could cross two females together, meaning the offspring would be 99% female. So we understood, hey, wait a minute, if I use that pollen from a female plant on another female plant, I only have female plants growing.”

And that’s why feminized seeds are pretty standard in the industry these days. 

Photoperiod Seeds

Cannabis plants use light levels to determine when it’s time to shift their energy from growing to flowering. 

In the wild, cannabis plants grow in the summer, when they have around 18 hours of sunlight and six hours of darkness. When winter is approaching, the light balance shifts to about 12 hours of sun and 12 hours of dark. This is what tells the plant that it’s time to start flowering—because flowers contain seeds, and the seeds need to be dropped before winter to continue the plant life cycle. 

“Photoperiod” refers to plants that behave this way, transitioning from growing to flowering based on the hours of light they receive.

Autoflowering Seeds (aka Auto or Nonphotoperiodic)

Growers don’t want to be limited to a short summer growing season when they’re gardening outside. And it can even be tricky to correctly control light hours when you’re growing weed indoors, under an artificial light. So some smart cookies invented “autoflowering seeds.” 

As Max explains: 

“About 15 years ago, somebody noticed a plant that was flowering on the side of the road in the middle of the summer. And they realized, ‘Wait a minute, that plant is flowering when it's not supposed to. What is this all about?’ So we found out that there is a genetic that is nonphotoperiodic, called Cannabis ruderalis.”

The ruderalis plant has a different shape from your standard cannabis, and it is very low in THC, making it not much fun to smoke. But it has adapted to a colder, darker region like Eastern Europe and Russia. So instead of reacting to light levels, ruderalis starts to flower automatically, just a few weeks from planting. 

So by inserting that gene into regular cannabis, we now get potent plants that will flower after a proscribed number of weeks, without being so picky about light.

F1 Hybrid Seeds

Cannabis seeds are often plagued by consistency problems. You’ll buy a single pack of seeds of one strain, but the flavors and potency can be all over the map. F1 hybrid seeds aim to solve that problem. 

An F1 hybrid is a first-generation cross between two “parental lines” with very stable genetics. The goal is to create something reliable, so you more consistently get the traits you’re after. 

“When you want to grow and smoke something that smells like pineapple, usually you’ll buy 10 seeds and one of them will have a strong pineapple smell. With the F1 hybrid, we hope that nine out of the 10 plants have that super strong pineapple smell, for 90% consistency,” Max explains. 

Some brands do this through cloning, but it’s expensive. F1 hybrids require brands to make a substantial initial investment, but once they build out their libraries, the cost of seed production drops dramatically. Companies like Royal Queen Seeds are on the forefront of this tech, working to expand their offerings of F1 hybrids while also keeping costs to consumers low. 

What strains are best for beginners?

Max suggests beginners look for classics like Blue Cheese, Royal Gorilla, Northern Lights, and Wedding Cake. These are all reliable strains that aren’t too sensitive and can give the first-time grower a taste of success. 

He also recommends starting out with an automatic strain, so you don’t have to change light levels through the growing season. 

Can I grow from bag seed?

Bag seeds are just what they sound like—the seeds left over from the bag of weed you picked up from your plug or at a dispensary. So can you skip buying seeds and instead grow them from these leftovers?

Here’s what Max had to say: 

“Bag seeds have made the world. They’re not to be neglected. But it's like playing Russian roulette. You don't know what you're going to get. If you have time and space, and you’re curious, and you don’t mind having something that might not be it, you can try your bag seeds. 

“If you want something that you can actually predict, and you can only have one or two or three plants and those are gonna be your babies, maybe don’t use the bag seeds because you don’t know what seeds are in that bag. Even the grower doesn’t know exactly what those seeds might do.”

IT’S ALIVE!!! AKA Germinating Your Seeds

If you just pop your seeds into some soil and hope for the best, you may be disappointed. You have to persuade your little babies to crack open and put out their first roots. 

The three most common methods of germination are in a glass of water, on a damp paper towel, or in the soil. Here’s how they each work. 

Germinate Seeds in Water

1. Fill a glass halfway with distilled, room-temperature water and add your seeds.

2. Place the glass in a dark place and let them soak. 

3. Seeds should sink within a few hours and start poking out roots within a couple days. 

4. Once your seed has a little white root that’s about a centimeter long, you can plant it in your soil. 

Germinate Seeds on a Paper Towel

1. Dampen two paper towels with distilled water.

2. Place your seeds between the two paper towels, and put the paper towels in a zipper bag. Zip the bag and place it on a plate. Then flip over another plate and set it on top of the first plate to keep things dark.

3. Put your plates in a warm location, between 70°F and 80°F. 

4. Wait anywhere from 24 hours to five days, spritzing your paper towels with a little water occasionally to keep them moist.

5. Once your seed pokes out a little white root that’s one to three centimeters long, you can plant it in your soil. 

Germinate Seeds in Soil

1. Add your soil to your growing pot and moisten but do not soak. Use soil with light nutrients—too much will burn the seeds. 

2. Poke a hole in the soil about two centimeters deep with your finger. 

3. Drop your seed in the hole, and then cover very lightly without pressure. 

4. Keep soil moist but not wet to encourage germination. 

Which method is best? Max always recommends the paper towel method to home growers for the most consistent germination success. 

Feed Me: Soil and Nutrients

“If you want a good plant, give it a good home,” Max says. “And the foundation of a plant is the soil or the substrate.”

He suggests looking for a good, light soil medium that doesn’t have too much “food” in it. “If you start growing a tiny plant with so much food in the soil, it's just going to say, ‘There is too much food for me and I'm burning.’” 

Look for a good soil blend that is neither sandy (because it won’t hold water), nor wet and clay-like (because then the plant can’t breathe). You need soil that can retain some water but still drains well. 

As for adding nutrients to your soil, those needs can vary, whether you’re planting in the ground or in a pot. 

In the ground, plants have access to a wider range of natural compost, thanks to the environmental organic matter. Think earthworm castings, fungi, and beneficial bacteria. 

Potted plants don’t have the same access to natural compost, so some plant food can keep your plant healthy. The three main nutrients for plants are nitrogen (N), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P).

When your plant is still in the growth stage, it will need more nitrogen, which boosts chlorophyll production. Then during the flowering stage, you’ll want to shift the balance to more potassium and phosphorus. Potassium helps boost root and flower production, while phosphorus wards off diseases. 

See the Light: Natural Sun vs. Grow Lights

Plants need light. But how much? How long? What kind? 

The sun has been growing all plants for millennia, Max reminds us, so it should always be the reference. Plus, sunlight is the cheapest and often easiest light source available. 

But if you’re growing cannabis in winter when sunlight is short, or in a home or apartment without direct sunlight, an artificial light may be the better choice. 

Grow light intensity is usually measured in watts. Royal Queen Seeds recommends about 300 watts per square meter, positioned about 30 to 60 centimeters above the tops of your cannabis plants. But keep in mind that YOUR optimal setup may vary depending on factors like the size of your grow space, plant density, and other environmental conditions.

They also recommend using LEDs, since they don’t put off heat like incandescent bulbs, which can stress your plants. Bonus: they’re much more energy efficient. 

If you’re using a grow light, Max says you don’t need to worry about mimicking sunrise and sunset with a slow change of light intensity. But you do need to stick to a schedule. For autoflowering seeds, you’ll want 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark. For photoperiod seeds, you’ll want 18 hours of light and six hours of darkness during the growth stage, and 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark during the flowering stage. 

Don’t assume that more light is better. Max says, “Too much light doesn't mean you're going to get more harvest. The plant has a maximum level of light that it can take…also the plants have a night cycle called the Calvin cycle. So they don’t rest or sleep at night. They’re doing other things.”

Keep It Comfy: Temperature and Humidity

Since cannabis plants evolved outside, they’re pretty resistant to fluctuations in temperature. Of course, anything below freezing is bad news. Freezing temps create ice crystals in the plant cells, which then burst the cell walls and kill the plant.

Max says the sweet spot for cannabis is 68 - 86°F, with the ideal being 78 - 80°F. But the plants can still survive outside of those ranges.

Humidity is another player. You do need some—if the air is overly dry, the plant will lose too much water and it will quit growing. But too much humidity is also no good. “Plants can grow at 100% humidity,” Max says, “but pathogens grow well at 100% humidity, too. And that can grow and eat your plants.”

Aim for 50 - 75% relative humidity, with a minimum of 35 - 45%. You can use a humidifier or dehumidifier to adjust the humidity in your home, if necessary. If you’re trying to grow cannabis outdoors in a very, very dry area (”like Las Vegas, where you don’t sweat—you crystalize,” Max says), then you can use a greenhouse. The plants themselves will create their own humidity, so you probably won’t need to run a humidifier. Just make sure it’s not too humid in there. 

The Essence of Wetness: Water Frequency and pH

If your plant is in a small pot that you can pick up, like the iGrowCan, Max recommends giving it a lift test. Pick it up, and if it feels light, it needs water. No need to get fancy with sensors. Just get to know the weight of your plant. “We want to be close to the plants. Let's grab the pot, carry it, let it talk to us. I think this is very noble,” Max says. 

If you can’t lift it, keep in mind that cannabis, like most plants, doesn’t want its roots too wet for too long. So let your soil get nearly dry between waterings. 

Also crucial to your plant’s happiness is the pH of the water. Proper pH makes it easier for the plant’s roots to absorb all those tasty nutrients you’ve been feeding it. 

Aim for a water pH between 5.5 and 7.5, with 6.3 - 6.5 being ideal. You can get a pH pen to test your tap water, and adjust the pH up or down with two products called, cleverly, pH Up and pH Down. While Max doesn’t recommend it, he has also seen people use a little vinegar to lower pH, if they don’t have access to anything else. 

And don’t test your tap water just once—mineral levels in your water can fluctuate with the seasons, which will impact that pH balance. So make sure you’re testing frequently.

 

Home Stretch: Harvesting and Curing

When to Harvest

Max says that there are three things to look for when you’re deciding if your plant is ready to harvest. 

1. Your plant has stopped creating white pistils. These little hair-like structures appear in the pre-flowering stage. As the flowering stage progresses, new pistils stop appearing, and the white pistils transition to orange/red and then brown. Look for orange/red pistils. Once they are brown, your plant may be past the peak of cannabinoid and terpene content. 

2. Trichomes are about 80% milky. Fresh trichomes are transparent. Toward the end of the flowering cycle, they get milky, and then brownish. You’re waiting for trichomes to be 80% milky and 20% brown. 

3. Plants are looking purple or yellow. This means your plants have reduced chlorophyll production, concentrating their energy instead on flowers. That’s good. 

When your plant is fully faded with no white pistils, 80% milky trichomes, and no more green, it’s time to harvest. Max suggests harvesting your buds in the morning, as that’s when the plant releases the freshest, strongest-smelling trichomes. Yum. 

Drying and Curing

Now that you’ve harvested, you’ll need to dry your buds. 

Temperature, humidity, and light are crucial here. Too much heat or sunlight will destroy the scent of your buds. And too much humidity can lead to rot. 

So follow these guidelines: 

• Keep relative humidity low, between 50 - 60%. 

• Maintain temperatures between 60 - 82°F. 

• Dry your buds out of direct sunlight, to avoid harmful UV rays. 

Many people like to hang their buds upside down to dry, which is easy to do and can promote air circulation. But there’s no magic in hanging your weed. “People say, ‘Oh, the sap goes down and the THC comes down from the root [when you hang your buds upside down].’ Nope,” says Max. “The cannabinoids are in your trichomes, not the root. If you had THC in the root, people would be smoking plant roots.” 

Let your plants dry “until the branch is a little snappy and the flower is a little crackly,” says Max. Then remove the branch and any leaves that don’t have trichomes, and put the buds in the jar to cure. Don’t pack them in tight—just about 75% full so there’s room for air to circulate. 

Pop a hygrometer in the jar, and aim for about 60 - 65% humidity. Or try a jar with a built-in humidity sensor, like this one. If humidity starts to climb, you can open the jar for a bit to let the buds air out. If humidity gets too low, you can add a humidity pack to bring it up. Or use a two-way humidity pack like Boveda’s Humidipaks, which will stabilize the humidity. 

Cure your buds in the jar for three to six weeks…less if you like your weed fresher, and more if you like it more earthy. 

And now, your home-grown weed is ready to smoke. 

Not So Complicated, Eh?

When it comes down to it, growing weed is a lot like growing any other plant. It needs well-fed soil, plenty of light, and the right amount of fresh water. Throw in a little temperature and humidity control, and you’ll be on your way to your own crop of buds, lovingly grown with your own dirt-covered hands. 

Not quite as easy as calling up your plug. But maybe a little more satisfying. 

Happy growing.